{"id":573,"date":"2011-06-12T13:20:46","date_gmt":"2011-06-12T20:20:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/anatomycorner.com\/main\/?page_id=573"},"modified":"2012-03-07T21:38:08","modified_gmt":"2012-03-08T04:38:08","slug":"external-features","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/anatomycorner.com\/main\/virtual-cat-dissection\/external-features\/","title":{"rendered":"VCD – External Features"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cats are stored in large plastic bags within a solution of formalin<\/strong>. \u00a0This chemical preserves the cat. \u00a0Cats can be stored in these bags for a long time, but once the bag is cut open, the cat will begin to decay. \u00a0 You will use the same cat in anatomy all year long.<\/p>\n

During dissections, you must wear safety goggles, this prevents the chemicals from the cat splashing into your eye. \u00a0 \u00a0Latex gloves are used during the dissection, but they are not entirely necessary. \u00a0Nitrile gloves can be substituted if you have a latex allergy. \u00a0 Even if you wear gloves throughout the dissection, wash your hands before leaving the lab.<\/p>\n

This pictures shows students practicing safe laboratory techniques. \u00a0Latex gloves are beige in color, and the blue is the nitrile gloves. \u00a0All students are wearing safety goggles.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Students wearing safety goggles and latex gloves with cat specimen.<\/p><\/div>\n

As you examine the cat, you may notice some interesting features. \u00a0Think about these questions.<\/p>\n

1. \u00a0Why is there a sponge in the cat’s mouth?
\n2. \u00a0Why was the skin left on the feet (and even pulled over the feet)?
\n3. \u00a0Why is there an incision in the cat’s throat?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Why is there a sponge in this cat's mouth?<\/p><\/div>\n

The sponge is placed in a cat’s mouth to make it easier to open them mouth when it comes time to examine that area. \u00a0When an animal dies, rigor mortis<\/strong> sets in causing the muscles to stiffen and lock in place. \u00a0If the cat is preserved this way, it can be difficult to move the joints or open the jaw to examine the mouth.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Why is the skin pulled over this cat's foot?<\/p><\/div>\n

When the cat is skinned prior to shipping, the bit of skin at the ankle is pulled over the cat’s foot. \u00a0This is a safety precaution as many of the cats still have their claws. The skin serves as a barrier for the claws so that a student does not accidentally get scratched when working with the cat.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Why is this string here?<\/p><\/div>\n

If your cat has been injected, then you may see an incision and a string attached to the neck area. \u00a0This is the point where the colored latex was injected into the cat to fill the veins and arteries. \u00a0The process makes it easier to identify arteries, which will be colored pink, and veins which will be colored blue. \u00a0Without the injection, the vessels all have the same brownish, gray color.<\/p>\n

Next Section: \u00a0Muscles of the Cat<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cats are stored in large plastic bags within a solution of formalin. \u00a0This chemical preserves the cat. \u00a0Cats can be stored in these bags for a long time, but once the bag is cut open, the cat will begin to decay. \u00a0 You will use the same cat in anatomy all year long. During dissections, you must wear safety goggles, this prevents the chemicals from the cat splashing into your eye. \u00a0 \u00a0Latex gloves are used during the dissection, but they are not entirely necessary. \u00a0Nitrile gloves can be substituted if you have a latex allergy. \u00a0 Even if you <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":509,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-573","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/anatomycorner.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/anatomycorner.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/anatomycorner.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/anatomycorner.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/anatomycorner.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=573"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"http:\/\/anatomycorner.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":667,"href":"http:\/\/anatomycorner.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/573\/revisions\/667"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/anatomycorner.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/anatomycorner.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}